Kobe silencing his skeptics

The time has finally arrived for NBA MVP Kobe Bryant to rid himself of the label that he can't win without Shaquille O'Neal by his side.

Bryant has the Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of their first NBA Finals berth since 2004, when they were stunned in five games by the Detroit Pistons in O'Neal's final season in Tinsel Town. Kobe and Shaq won three titles together (2000-2002), and appeared in four NBA Finals as teammates.

O'Neal was dealt to Miami in a blockbuster trade on July 14, 2004. L.A. didn't qualify for the playoffs the next year, and was knocked out in the first round of the postseason by Phoenix in the following two campaigns. Meanwhile, O'Neal teamed with Dwyane Wade to lead the Heat to their first championship in 2006.

Continued at My Sportsbook...